Restorative Justice Hub/Westman Mediation Services

A program which promotes restorative justice within the Westman and Parkland regions.

We provide education and promotion on Restorative Justice and the Restorative Justice Hub within these regions.

We provide training and support to 9 justice committees within the regions and help to develop additional justice committees when requested

When requested, we provide training and support to other restorative justice agencies

We provide restorative justice services within the regions

Services include:

Extra-judicial sanctions (EJS)

Adult Alternative Measures (AAM)

Circles

Mediation

Referrals come from:

RCMP/Police (pre-charge)

Schools

Crown Attorneys (post-charge)

Defence Lawyers (pre-sentence)

Judges/probation (post-sentence)

The purpose of restorative justice is to involve the victim, community and the offender in the process of repairing harm and making amends. The victim can choose to what degree they participate in the process. They can choose to meet face to face with the accused , have someone else represent them in person, have the facilitator ask questions of the accused (and receive the responses), write a victim impact statement which will be read to the accused, request specific reparations from the accused, and/or be informed of the outcome of the process. The victim can also choose not to be part of the process at all.

An appropriate referral is one in which the accused takes responsibility for their behaviour and is willing to make amends. The victim(s) will be contacted to determine to which degree they would like to participate/be involved. Where appropriate, referrals will be assigned to justice committees, other agencies, or the Restorative Justice Facilitator or Coordinator.

A diversion is….

A pre-charge or post-charge referral where the Police/RCMP or Crown Attorney has decided that the offences can be best dealt with outside the traditional court system. If the accused completes their assigned provisions (repairs harm they caused) – their charges will be stayed. The diversion process may be undertaken through the use of a justice committee as a EJS or AAM, with a Restorative Justice Facilitator or Coordinator as an EJS, AAM, circle or mediation.

Research has shown that both victims and accused are more satisfied with the outcome of restorative justice processes as compared to the traditional court system.

Victims are more likely to receive restitution through the restorative justice process than they are through the traditional court system.

Being able to meet the accused and ask questions and tell how they were impacted can make the victim feel more empowered and allow the accused to understand how their behaviours have actually impacted others and have to look someone in the eye – take responsibility for and apologize for their behaviour.

Research has also shown a decrease in offending behaviour by those who have participated in a restorative justice process.